Born in Shimla – known as the queen of the hills - I have
always felt an innate love for and connection with nature. Growing up in
a world full of animals and plants growing all
the way up to the walls of our then house (mother loves gardening), I had my fair share of ‘Jungle Book’ experiences. In this world, our parents taught us not to be wasteful of anything and treat the planet and all its people with respect. This was a lesson that was reinforced to both my siblings too and we’ve ended up as lifelong animal and nature lovers, with my sister starting up a business that prioritizes dog nutrition and health and I, after 10+ years of 9-5, with an earth-friendly handcrafted decor products brand.

Life, food and habits are different in a city. I was used to mom growing some of our veggies like cucumbers, coriander, strawberries, kiwis, pumpkins and what not. This made sure we ate fresh and tasty - no bite of cucumber tastes the same as when it is garden-to-plate. Only once I’d left the
anthropomorphic world of my childhood and enrolled in the 9-5 of
Bangalore, did I realize how much I missed being in touch with our
planet and how satisfactory that way of life was. And so while I am here, along with gardening I live as the Monica of my people while trying
everyday to not be wasteful of food, water, electricity or anything else that we, the ones with easy access to it, usually take for granted.

It pains me that so many of us are apathetic to the needs of this planet
(which is all our race has ever known in the entire universe, at least for now!) and the generations yet to come. Each one of us is more ambitious than ever before, however I believe that seeking satisfaction while taking
nature out of the equation is unviable from a long term perspective. As I
have a ‘pahadi’ heart, my own happiness is highly correlated to my bond
with the nature and that is why I decide to be responsible and to care,
every single day. Sometimes it involves a little bit of effort, sure, but it’s
super worth it! I believe our first step can just be as simple and small as
choosing to be less irresponsible as that's where I started!

To conclude, let's all try to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s famous words -
The World has enough for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed